Note to Reviewer

April 13, 2010

MEMORANDUM FOR: Reviewer of 1220-0050

FROM: JAY RYAN, Chief

Division of Consumer Expenditure Surveys

Bureau of Labor Statistics

SUBJECT: Non-substantive Change Request for the Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CE) – Measurement Issues (MI) study

CE is involved in an ongoing effort to improve data quality, maintain or increase response rates, and reduce data collection costs. As part of this effort, the Measurement Issues (MI) study will examine alternative data collection strategies for the CEQ as specified in the 2010 CE clearance package.

Attached are the global questions for respondents in the Split Questionnaire condition (Attachment A) as well as modified housing and income questions (Attachments B and C, respectively), advance letters (Attachment D), Information Booklet (Attachment E) and post survey questions (Attachment F) for all respondents in the test. Advanced letters will be mailed in May prior to the start of data collection on June 1, 2010. Also attached is the Measurement Issues study overview which was included in the 2010 CE clearance package (Attachment G), updated with details on the sampling frame.

In addition to the items specified in Attachments A – F, the MI survey will administer questions from the existing CEQ survey (including the FRONT, Demographics, BACK, and Sections 1 through 9).  These questions have not been altered at all for the MI study.  For example, we propose to administer the same questions from Section 6 that are currently approved and being asked of production respondents.

The test will run for nine months with a total burden hour estimate of 3,456.

Current OMB approval of the CE surveys is scheduled to expire March 31, 2013.

If you have any questions about this request, please contact Jay Ryan at 202-691-5139 or e-mail at Ryan.Jay@bls.gov or Peggy Murphy at 202-691-6186 or e-mail at Murphy.Peggy@bls.gov.